The Alpha who bowed to a witch.

Zavira’s  POV 

“If this goes wrong,” Veloria  whispered, “they won’t even leave enough of you to bury.”

“You do realize this is insane, right?”

Veloria’s voice cut through the murmur of the gala, sharp, insistent. Her short white pixie cut caught the flicker of chandeliers, eyes wide with worry. She leaned closer, pressing her hands against my arm. “Zavira… I mean it. You could get killed tonight. No one, not a soul, steals from him and walks away,” she said, almost out of breath.

“Then, tonight I will be the first,” I muttered as I adjusted the clip on my hair.

Her jaw tightened. “Impossible. We could’ve taken a collector gig—safe, predictable. But no… You have to steal from Rhaegar, Alpha of the Northern Packs. The Devil in whispered legends.”

I leaned closer to the mirror, steadying my hand as I adjusted the last stroke of my makeup. My reflection stared back at me—calm, composed… convincing.

Good.

It had to be.

“Say something,” Velora pressed, crossing her arms behind me. “At least pretend you’re thinking about it.”

 “Legends are rarely true. And the pay is triple. Enough to vanish from this life. Enough to be free.” I smacked my lips and evened out my lipstick that outlined my features.

Velora exhaled sharply, hands pressing to her chest. “Freedom isn’t worth a grave. Zavira, please don’t  do this.”

I reached across to her side, briefly clasping her hand. “I did think about the risk. That’s why I’m doing it myself. You trust me enough to let me take my chances. Right?”

She sighed, frustrated, and stepped closer. “Breaking into the Alpha’s territory? Stealing from him? That’s not thinking, Zavira. That’s suicide!” She sighed, frustrated.

I met her frustrated look in the mirror. She raked her hair with her fingers. Thinking of what to say next to persuade me to change my mind, but unfortunately, my mind was made up.

“No,” I said quietly. “That’s freedom.”

Her eyes opened wide in astonishment.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then she shook her head slowly. “Freedom doesn’t come from doing exactly what they want you to do.”

My jaw tightened, my nerves spiked.

“They don’t own me.” I rasped defensively.

“The prophecy does,” Velora said almost immediately.

That hit deeper than it came. 

I looked away from her, focusing instead on smoothing my dress over my hips. The black fabric hugged me perfectly—too perfectly. It dipped low at the back, clung to every curve, and the sl*t brushed against my thigh with every movement.

It wasn’t just a dress.

It was a weapon.

“I’m ending it tonight,” I said softly. “No more running errands for them. No more living like I’m some… tool waiting to be used.”

“And you think stealing the staff will fix that?” Her voice cracked slightly.

“I think it will give me a choice.” I took a deep breath. 

That was all I wanted.

A choice.

Velora watched me for a long moment, her expression softening just slightly.

“And if it goes wrong?” she asked quietly.

I picked up my heels and stepped toward the door.

“Then at least it’ll be on my terms.”

The moment we stepped into the gala, everything changed.

The music. The lights. Even the air felt different the moment we stepped into the gala. And the eyes, they turned almost instantly. Not subtly. Not politely, but openly curious and Judging.

I felt it, a heat against my skin, as I walked forward, my head held high, my steps steady. Conversations dipped. Whispers started.

“Who is she?”

“Where did she come from?”

“She’s not one of them.”

I ignored all of it. 

But I understood it. Witches were tolerated and not admired. Not here.

To them, witches were… lesser. Useful, maybe. Dangerous, yes. But never this. Never something to look at twice. And yet—They were looking.

Because I didn’t fit what they expected. Because I didn’t look like something beneath them. Because I refused to.

“Zavira…” Velora murmured under her breath. “They’re staring.”

“Let them,” I said calmly.

That was part of the plan. Distract them, make them lose their guide, take the staff, and leave. Simple as it sounds. 

I lifted my gaze—

And that was when it happened. Like a force field, a magnetic object pulling to attach to another magnetic object. He looked at me. And I looked back at him, across the room. There he was, the alpha—Rhaegar Thorne.

At the mere sight of him, every conversation stopped, heads were lowered to the floor, and even the musician faltered. The alpha of the northern pack had arrived.

For a split second, everything else faded; the music and the voices blurred into the background as my heartbeat echoed in my chest. It was just him staring at me like a rare gem. Something flickered between us— it was sharp, sudden, electric. I felt it. Deep. Unsettling.

I blinked, forcing myself to take my gaze off him.

Focus. You’re not here for him. You’re here for the staff. Still—I felt his gaze linger. And then—He started walking toward me. “Zavira,” Velora tapped at my shoulders slightly, panic creeping in. “Why is he coming here?”

I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know. And for the first time that night, the confidence I had slipped beneath my skin. My heart beat louder than expected.  He stopped in front of me. He was too close; I could feel his hot breath against my skin. 

He looked less like a man and more like something carefully carved to ruin good decisions. 

“ Long live the alpha,” I said as I bowed to greet him.

“Are you not bothered about the stares and whispers?” he asked, disregarding my greetings.

His voice wasn’t dangerously evil the way I expected it to be; it was rather low, smooth for a legendary Alpha.

I tilted my head slightly, forcing a small smile. “I was. Until I realized I was the evening’s entertainment.”

He paused and scanned the gala and the glances people were throwing at me. People suddenly stopped staring; he could command that many people with just a glance. Then, I'm in for something far more dangerous.

“You don’t seem perturbed.” He gave an almost smile.

“Should I be?” I asked, unsure of where my confidence was coming from.

“That depends on you.” He rasped as he scanned the crowd briefly.

“Mmmmmm.” I joined his gaze, starting st the crowd.

“It’s either you came here to be seen or—“

I held his gaze for a moment.

“Maybe I did,” I said as I nodded to Veloria, who was talking to a gentleman in the crowd.

His expression softened slightly.

“Or you came to cause havoc.”

My pulse stumbled hard enough to irritate me. My throat dried up. Did he figure out my mission?

I stepped a little closer, not wanting to show the little fear that was about to replace my confidence. “Which one do you think it is?”

His gaze dropped—briefly—to my lips.

Then back to my eyes.

“That depends on your mission.” He said carefully.

“I want to see what all of this is about,” I said as I stammered slightly. “The power. The stories. The man behind them.”

A flicker of something crossed his face. Interest, maybe? 

“Dance with me,” he said as he outstretched his hand. 

My heart jumped to my stomach- why would the alpha ask me to dance with him? Is he plotting something? Or is he making my plans easy for me? The blonde lady who had been throwing glances at me since the alpha approached me stood with nobles as she belonged there. I noticed that her smile vanished when Rheagar offered to dance with me.

I placed my hand in his. The moment he pulled me close, something shifted…I couldn’t decipher whatever, but I seemed to have forgotten how to breathe properly.

“You’re not from here,” he said, and my breath caught. Does he know?

“And yet you came to me.” I rasped as I smiled softly.

“I go where I’m curious.” He murmured.

I smiled faintly. “And I’ve made you curious?”

“More than you should have.” He admitted.

“That sounds like a warning. Should I be worried?” I asked teasingly as my heart kept hammering against my chest.

“Maybe you should.” He tilted his head slightly.

I leaned in slightly. “I don’t scare easily.”

“That’s because you haven’t met the right kind of danger.”

I looked at him.

Really looked.

And for a second—I thought to just forget about the plans and leave before it was too late. 

But I forgot. Forgot why I was there.Forgot what he was supposed to be. Because he didn’t look like a monster; he looked like something… carved. Perfect in a way that didn’t feel real. And it annoyed me. I wasn’t supposed to notice that. I wasn’t supposed to admire anything about him. I was supposed to use him. 

“That look,” he said quietly.

I blinked. “What look?”

“Like you’re trying to figure me out.”

I smiled. “Maybe I am.”

“You won’t.” He murmured as we swayed with the rhythm of the song playing in the background.

“Everyone says that.” I chuckled.

“And they’re right.” He rasped as he dragged me closer to his masculine body.

“Should I be worried that the Great Alpha is dancing with me? I asked as I met his gaze.

“Should you be worried? What if I tell you that you have entered the Alpha’s den and there's no going back…” He said as he took my hand.

“That sounds… fun.” I laughed nervously.

Every instinct in my body screamed at me to find an excuse and leave.

“Come,” he said as he led me off the dance floor.

He showed me everything —the palace was breathtaking, the halls. The architecture.The power woven into every corner of the palace.

He walked beside me calmly, occasionally watching my reactions more than the palace itself.

And then—

The staff.

The moment I saw it, something inside me reacted.

Heat maybe? It was a strong magnetic pull, calling unto me.

I stepped closer, unsure whether I should touch it.

“Careful,” he said behind me.

“Why?” I asked.

“Some things aren’t meant to be touched.” He said, turning to look at me.

I turned slightly. “That’s never stopped me before.”

He stepped closer, too close that I could smell his minty woody breath. The air shifted; my breath hitched. 

His hand brushed my arm. The feeling was like an electric spark. I quickly kept my arm away from his.

His gaze lingered on my lips, and for a heartbeat too long, my pulse betrayed me, and I hated it. Men like hun weren't supposed to make women nervous. They were supposed to make women run.

He stepped behind me until his chest almost brushed my back. Warm breath fanned across my ear, sending an involuntary shiver through me.

“Curiosity is dangerous,” he murmured

I gasped as my nerves spiked. My plan was going accordingly.

“So, how do you like the view?” he asked, coming to face me.

“Worth the stories told,” I said as I smiled slightly.

Every lesson I’d learned told me to let him think it was his idea.

His thumb brushed my chin softly, taking my hair behind my ear. 

“You've looked at every corridor in this corridor,” he said, throwing me off balance. I froze for like a second.

“I wasn't counting,” I said, my voice cracked slightly.

“No?” A faint smile crossed his lips.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Then, we were interrupted.

He stepped away immediately.

“My Alpha.” A voice came from the hallway. The moment shattered. He stepped back instantly.

An elder stood nearby, waiting respectfully.

Rhaegar exhaled softly,  stepping backward gently.

 He was Cold and Controlled again. His face turned back to the feared alpha I always heard of.

“I’ll find you later,” he said quietly. Then he was gone.

Velora found me minutes later.

“Well?” she demanded.

“I saw it,” I said.

Her eyes widened. “Already?”

“And he seems interested, ” I added.

“That’s not good.” Velora sighed, afraid for me.

“It’s useful,” I said, clasping my hand.

She grabbed my arm. “It’s not too late to back down.” She said, concern and fear boldly written on her face. I didn’t say anything. I already made up my mind, and nothing was going to change that, not even Velora.

A loud crash echoed across the ballroom as one of the enormous chandeliers suddenly burst into flames overhead.

Guests screamed, and the music stopped as everyone tried to find a safe space. The palace Guards rushed forward instantly. It was exactly the perfect chaos I wanted.

Velora grabbed my wrist gently as if  reading my mind, “Since you have made up your mind, this is our chance.”

My heart pounded against my chest as I nodded in agreement.

I slipped away unnoticed to the room where the staff was kept—it stood there as if waiting for me.

 I reached out to grab it. My fingers closed around it—it felt light, unlike how it was described. This wasn’t how power was supposed to feel. I slowly turned it around to look at it.

For one glorious second, I thought I actually did it.

Then—

“That’s the problem with dangerous girls, Zavira…”

I froze. His voice was smooth and calm behind me.

My blood turned cold.

Because he knew my name, which I never mentioned.

And slowly—I turned around

“Surprised? You stole exactly what I wanted you to.” He held up another staff—the real one.

My breath caught as a cold chill ran down my spine.

He stood in the shadows, surrounded by his wolf pack and palace guards. Their eyes were as sharp as drawn blades, all on me. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run

And in that moment, I realized that theft had never been a trap.

I was.

Zavira’s  POV

“Tell me something, Zavira, did you really think I would leave the most powerful artifact unguarded?” Rheagar’s voice sliced through the silence.

Color drained from my face as I stared at the staff in my trembling hands. My hands tightened around it, uncertainty replacing my initial confidence.

Rheagar just lifted a finger, and the guards formed a circle around me, their weapons drawn, their expressions unreadable.

His dark gaze dropped briefly to the staff in my hands before returning to my face. There was no warmth in his eyes anymore; the charming man who had danced with me minutes ago had disappeared—this was the alpha everyone feared.

“Was it arrogance?” His voice came out softer than he looked.

My pulse hammered in my ears as he took another step forward.

“Or  was it desperation?”

I swallowed hard. Neither answer sounded safe nor felt right.

“Does